Dying Future
by ShivaVixen
Summary: RGB An explosion on a bust sends four out of five ghostbusters to the future to meet their great grandchildren. But Finding the way back becomes secondary as the teams must combine to stop an ancient god from being summoned to wipe out the Living.
1. Present Past

**Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to ghostbusters. Wish I did, because Janine wouldn't have dated Louis in the second movie, and it wouldn't have taken so long to make a third movie. Oh well . . . **

**Present Past**

The room was little more than a cavern, a small lake in the center that had what looked like a floating, ornate, gazebo with an Altar inside. Twenty people ranged around the lake, all wearing Blue robes that hid the gender. Another person stood in the ornate gazebo, dressed in a purple robe with scarlet trim.

"**My Brethren, soon, we will triumph! The world will descend back into chaos, and the dead will reign!"** The voice was masculine, deep and reverberating around the cavern. The lake seemed to swirl as he spoke. A group of four wearing red robes carried a coffin, walking on water to the altar. Depositing it, they knelt. A flash of magic, and the coffin burned, leaving a body draped in scarlet cloth. "**Soon!"**

* * *

"Watch out!" Dr. Peter Venkman tackled a civilian, an enraged class six throwing a temper tantrum (and anything not bolted down.) The man took off for safety a minute later. "Well, Egon, you got a plan?" Dr. Egon Spengler, a tall blonde Para physicist and the unofficial brains of the ghost busting team, glanced at the slightly annoyed Psychologist.

"If we can trap the Entity in the center of the streams, that should make it harder for it to escape the pull . . . Janine, duck!"

"Yipe!" The redhead obeyed. A bus bench went over her head. "Why did I insist on coming on this bust?"

"I have the sneaking suspicion it was to spend more time with a certain blonde." Winston Zeddemore murmured to the auburn haired Dr. Ray Stantz. Ray managed a grin, but the two dove away from each other as a car almost hit them. In one of the few moments where the ghost seemed to wind down, the Ghostbusting team got back into a group, waiting for the ghost to make a move again.

"Heads up!" Peter fired at the ghost as it charged at them. At that precise moment, something happened.

Later Egon would remember more, but the last thing he was conscious of was a flash of Light and Peter's cry of pain.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

"You're late, Spengler." The young trim Auburn haired man barely even glanced at the tall willowy red head that rushed in from the rain.

"Couldn't find my umbrella, Stantz." She glanced around the Firehouse, and at the white truck that was parked. A dark skinned young man had half his body in the engine cavity. "Um, How's Ecto 25?"

"She'll keep running. Might have to put in for a new truck soon." He grunted. She nodded.

"I know it's like, a tradition for there to always be at least one of the original's descendents to be in this precinct, but did we really have to be stuck to this place!" An auburn haired woman, the twin to Stantz, whined as she and a brown haired young man came down. "Oh, hi, Janice."

"Ruth." The red head smiled, and then headed up the stairs to the library. It split the top floor in half, one side the library, the other the lab. As she ascended the stairs, she heard Ruth speak up.

"She's so weird, isn't she, Alan?" Janice winced, a part of her wanting to confront Ruth.

"Yeah, total bookworm, no wonder she's a klutz on busts." Alan Venkman, great grandson to Peter Venkman, snorted. "Right Ed?" The only agreement was a laugh. And nothing came from Great grandson of Winston Zeddemore, Chad Zeddemore.

Struggling not to cry, Janice slipped into the library, and locked the door. Angry, she yanked a random book off the shelf and almost threw it. Almost because the bookcase that was against the wall moved. Curiosity replacing anger, she glanced at the book in hand. A hard backed copy of Tobin's, the latin version. Curious, she put it down, and walked into the revealed room.

There were splatters of building material, and the room had clearly been built to be psishieled, a technique the original Ghostbusters had discovered. There were a few machines, and absently, turned on the rather primitive computer.

"Hello, my name is Oscar Venkman. In some ways, I am the last surviving Ghostbuster . . ." The old man that met her eyes was clearly kind. "My youngest brother, Charles, has moved onto finishing renovating the old firehouse, but that has little to do with what I am going to say. This hidden room is meant to protect secrets that my father . . . died to protect. It will only respond to the psi elements of the descendents of the original five. Yes, I count Janine Melnitz-Spengler as one of the originals. But there is another measure. This room is connected to a sensor, to find when the time has come for the gate of the dead to open. This will be the last stand of the Ghostbusters, if the warnings are not heeded. Ghosts, even those benign in origin, will turn evil and wreck the world, until the ruler of the dead, known as Pluto in roman mythology, will come. The time for when that gate shall be open for the last time is not known, but looking at ancient Mayan and other sources, it will not come until the year 3000 at the least." The film distorted a moment, and then continued. "But you will not be without aid. My father and the other Ghostbusters discovered that Slimer, their loyal ghost friend and mascot, was sensitive to other ghosts. Perhaps as time will go on, they will say that our loyal spud dissolved, but I will say that is not true. He chose to be locked into this room, so he may help our descendents combat this evil. The password for him to trust you is Citizen . . . Citizen . . . Citizen . . ." The video warped and went blank. A drawer opened, revealing an old style trap that opened, revealing a green . . . blob, which shook itself, spraying slime - ectoplasmic residue - and then focused orange eyes on her.

"Hello Slimer, I'm Janice Spengler. Um . . ."

"Password." Slimer's falsetto sounded weird, but she understood.

"Um, Citizen . . . Kane?" He shook his head. "Citizen . . . Soldier?" Another shake, but this was accompanied by a grin. "No offense, but the video warped, so unless it's Citizen Ghost, I have no clue other than the fact he repeated Citizen three times."

Slimer cheered, hugging her.

"Citizen three times?" She looked at him. He nodded grinning. "Okay, so, Citizen, Citizen, Citizen?" He gave her a smack. "Yecch! I see why they call you slimer." The green ghost smiled, letting go and floating by her side. He darted once, pressing a button. Oscar Venkman reappeared.

"Well done. This console has all the information I have gathered to date. Use it, and the other resources to stop this potential Armageddon!" Janice leaned back in the chair.

"Well . . . I thought life was getting pretty boring." She tossed Slimer a granola bar. "This ought to be good."

To say the descendents of the original Ghostbusters were friends would have been a stretch. With the exception of the Stantz twins, they rarely did anything as a group. Chad Zeddemore was always working on something mechanical; he had a doctorate in both para-enginering (a field started by Ray Stantz) and normal engineering. He rarely said much, unless it pertained to Ecto 25, his pride and joy.

Ruth and Edward Stantz were doctors in para-physics and parapsychology. Both had minored in each other's field. Both were rather . . . high on themselves and each other. A far cry from Ray Stantz's perpetual optimism and joy in life.

Alan Venkman was a Vietnam 2 vet. A medic and a doctor in medicine, he was currently studying the effects of Ectoplasm and psycho-kinetic energy on humans over a long period of time. He and Ruth were currently in the step that came before actual dating. He had Peter Venkman's charm, but was less conceited than his predecessor.

And finally, Janice Spengler, She was a folklorist, also studied Mythology and anything to do with the history of the supernatural. She was the youngest, with innocence in her expression and some form of naivety that the others kept brushing off as ignorance. Even though she was tall, they kept stepping over her, ignoring anything she brought to their attention, believing that they knew best. With that brush off from the people she should have been able to trust her life with, her self confidence and esteem were taking a dive. With the team unable to work together, there was very little doubt that it would eventually fall apart.

But Janice (Jan, to the few she had as friends.) was not at the point she was willing to quit on the group. But there was little she could do with their . . . unwillingness to listen.

This was why for the next two weeks, she and Slimer snuck out at night to search. Slimer also agreed to stay hidden in the room, as the others were of the mentality to take out the ghost on sight.


	2. Connection

**Connection**

Slimer hovered over the lone, crowded desk in the small Library that took up half of the top floor. Janice Spengler had fallen asleep at the desk, wearing small frameless reading glasses that made her look like Janine. But she wasn't. She was a little brighter than Janine, well, at least in his vision. She was just as bright as Peter. Janine and Ray were second brightest, and then Winston and Egon.

He could feel a sall tug, something had been consistent ever since Ray had passed on. He knew it what it was, though. He wanted to move on and be with his friends. If it hadn't been for Peter's instructions to stick with Oscar, he wouldn't have stayed. And then if Oscar hadn't felt it was necessary for him to be there to help his friends' descendents, he would have left after Oscar had also passed on.

Now, he was glad he hadn't. Janice wasn't Janine's firey tough girl, and she wasn't even trying to stand up for herself. She really needed a friend to help her.

One of the first things he had decided to do as soon as he was allowed to haunt the firehouse freely again, was prank the others. A strand of red hair fell into her face and he very carefully moved it out, leaving a little slime.

He really missed his friends. Slimer grabbed a blanket and drapped it over her. But He'd stay for Janice. The tug vanished. He'd stay and make sure no one took advantage of her. The siren went off and Janice jerked up.

"Whoa!" Slimer almost got hit by her head.

"Slimer, room, I'll get you a Cheeseburger on the way back." Slimer nodded. Even if she didn't get it right after the bust and had to return, she was very good at keeping her promise for feeding him. And it would give him a chance to plan what he was going to do to the other Ghostbusters as revenge. Years with the originals had given him a large prank repertoire. Curtosy of Peter, mostly.

* * *

Egon woke with a pounding headache, and the feeling that his chest was being crushed. Opening his eyes revealed Ray and Janine on top of him. They were also starting to come around.

"Ooohhh . . . what hit me?" Janine groaned as she tried to lever herself up. Not an easy task with a forty pound pack and Ray on top of her. "Ray get off, you're crushing me and Egon."

"Sorry . . ."

"You guys alright?" Winston helped Ray and Janine up.

"Yeah . . ."

"Sorta . . . where's Peter?" Ray glanced around.

"I don't think he made it." Egon fixed his glasses.

"What do you mean?"

" . . . Peter was hit with a combination of ghost and proton energy. His body diffiused most of it, so we were . . . transported to here, instead of destroyed . . . but he wouldn't have survived the blast."

"You're sure?"

"Somewhat."

"Where are we?"

"I believe the correct question would be when." Egon picked up a paper. "The year is 2100."

"Wow!" Ray looked at the paper.

"But how do we get back?" A siren interupted them.

"Should we run?"

"I don't think so . . . maybe we'll be able to find out more." A white van/truck pulled up, the ghostbuster's logo clearly visible. A group of five emerged, traing throwerd on them.

"Hold it right there."

"Pardon me, but we've been temporaly displaced." Egon wished Peter was here, he was better at talking people down. "I'm Dr. Egon Spengler-"

"Why should we believe that, you're reistering on the meter."

"Well . . . we were transported by a ghost."

"Let's just zap them." The throwers gave an ominous hum.

"Wait!" One of the ghostbusters stepped forward. She had red hair and was wearing a green with pink trim uniform. She walked right up to Egon, a PKE meter pointed at his chest. The machine beeped, and she gave him a smile, as she turned, he saw her name tag. J. Spengler. "They're telling the truth . . . It's not them that's giving off the energy, it's this entire area!" The others relaxed, but were clearly unhappy.

"Next time, don't do that." Ed scolwed at her. She just looked at him, before turning back to Egon.

"I'm Dr. Janice Spengler."

"Dr. Egon Spengler . . . Janine Meltnitz, Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz. Are you-"

"I'm your great granddaughter."

"She looks like Janine . . ." Winston commented.

"Well . . . that's cause . . . um . . ." She glanced at Janine. "We're related too." Egon and Janine looked at each other and turned red.

"I'm Dr. Edward Stantz, this is my sister, Ruth Stantz." He had a brown uniform with tan collar and trim, while ruth had a tan uniform with pink trim.

"Chad Zeddemore, doctorate in engineering." Chad wore a dark blue uniform with white collar and trim.

"Alan Venkman, I'm a medical doctor." Alan nodded, wearing a white uniform with red collar and trim. Under the Ghost buster logo was a red cadecus.

"How'd you get temporaly displaced?"

"I'm afraid we're not sure . . . the last thing I remember happening is Peter crying out and a bright light." Egon explained. "Beyond that, nothing."

" . . . that's really not much to go on- What the?"

"Janice, Ray, look out!" Janine shouted, a portal having appeard right behind them. The two looked, and began moving quickly away from the portal. Ray moved quicker than Janice, and the portal warped, grabbing her and just missing Ray.

"Hang on!" Winston grabbed her before the portal could pull her in. "Ray, Egon, think fast!"

"Hold still." Egon fired a low powered beam, which did make the portal release her. In fact, she and Winston almost toppled to the ground.

"Only you Janice." Ruth shook her head. "You really shouldn't come on busts."

"Oh, great . . ." Janice swore, ignoring Ruth.

"What's wrong?"

"The PKE meter . . ." She held up a burned hand. "That was a really high powered vortex . . ."

"Residuals alone are reading as a class nine." Chad glanced at Ray, who had spoken at almost the same time.

"It seemed like it really wanted you."

"She's a jinx. She always gets into trouble."

" . . . or she's more attractive to ghosts." Egon glanced at Ed, a slight frown on his face. "Peter Venkman and Ray are much the same way. Ghosts tend to go after a person that they feel could help them in some way." Ed shifted, uneasy. "But we better get a place where we can talk, other than a potentially busy street in a few hours."

"Firehouse?"

"That place is still standing?"

"It's been remodeled a few times, but yeah."

"Janice, let me see your hand." Alan took it forcing it open. "Where did you get this scar?"

"Um . . . A bust a month ago . . . You were at a conference." He looked at her, than at the others.

"was no one going to tell me?"

"She got hurt on that bust?" Ed blinked. "When?"

"It's not a big deal. Only took a couple of stitches." Janice tugged her hand away. "I've gotten worse."

"You have?" Egon's frowned deepend.

"Am I to understand that you do not pay attention to your own teammates?"

"That's cold, real cold." Winston crossed his arms and shifted against the Truck's side.

"She doesn't say anything."

"She doesn't say anything, or you don't listen?"

"Whoa! Hold it!" Janice waved her hands. "I've been in a car crash and had to be in the hospital for a bit. That's all!"

"When?"

"Before I met you. We're not all going to fit in the truck, I'll take the motorcycle." She grabbed a green helmet. She left her pack in the truck. "See you at the firehouse."

"Be careful."

Slimer 'slept' fitfully, dimly aware of a familiar feeling . . . It felt like Ray, Winston, Janine and Egon. But it couldn't be. Peter would be with them. So he stayed in the room.

"I take it you guys are all descended from one, or two, of us?" Wintson settled on a couch.

"Right. It's a tradition that descendents of you stay here in this office."

"How many ghostbusting offices do you have?"

"At least one in every major city. It recently started branching out to other countries."

"All this from four guys setting up shop in a firehouse to bust ghosts?" Janine shook her head.

"Well, yeah . . ."

"We need to work out how we got transported over a hundred years into the future." Egon shifted his glasses. "Peter could be seriously injured."

"Doubt there would be much you could do even if he is." Ruth absently muttered.

"What?" Egon's blue eyes met her hazel ones.

"From what you described it's likely that Dr. Venkman is dead." She shifted. "Ghostbusters history 101. Peter Venkman dies protecting the team on a bust gone wrong."

"We still have to try." Ray looked at Egon. An Alarm went off.

"If it's not one thing it's another, whatcha got, Alan?" Alan was over at a machine.

"Ecto 26 has just been in a crash. And the psi meter isn't transmitting very well . . . It's fluctuating like crazy!"

"Can you get her on radio?" Egon moved to look at him.

"Hang on . . . Janice, you there? Dr. Spengler? Hey Red, answer me!" Alan frowned.

"I . . . n . . . roub . . . elp . . ." There was a brief response, and it went dead.

"C'mon. This is going to be another long night . . . You can stay here."

"If I may make a suggestion?" Egon shifted his glasses. "Winston and I will go, along with Alan and- Chad?" Chad nodded. "The rest of you should stay here and start working on what that portal was."

"Yes Proffessor Spengler- er, Doctor." Ruth winced. "This is going to be difficult . . ."


	3. Resurection

**Resurrection**

Her left arm was held in a tight, all too human grip. That was the first thing Janice noticed. There was something cold and metal- and sharp that cut her arm a moment later. Barely into the realm of consciousness, that brought her around quickly with a cry of pain escaping. She couldn't move away.

"**You're awake.**" Her eyes focused on a man in a purple hooded robe. She bit her lip as he cut another line down the other on her forearm. Her blood was falling into a bowl. She was secured by the 'portal' from before, her arms were outstretched and wrapped at the wrist and her legs were under her. Her uniform was gone, leaving her in the teal tank top and the black workout pants she normally wore underneath. She still had her shoes, so that would help if she could run. A third line was cut on her arm.

"What are you doing?" She grit out.

"**Your blood is needed.**" That was pretty much the end of any conversation. He picked up the bowl and turned to walk toward a lake with a floating gazebo.

"This isn't good . . ." Janice winced as trying to tug out of the weird ghost sent shard of pain up her arm.

* * *

"This doesn't look good." The motorcycle had a dented front wheel, and was still running.

"Where is she?" Alan glanced around.

"In trouble. I'm getting a large surge of Psycho kinetic energy all over the area." Egon studied the meter. "Similar to what was left by the vortex that tried to grab her earlier."

"It was waiting for her to split off from the group." Winston's statement sounded like a question.

"Sounds about right." Egon frowned. "But why?"

"We've got another problem . . ." Chad picked up a green uniform.

"She didn't have a pack, so no chance to fight back- Whoa!" Winston fell through a brick wall, which rippeled as he went through.

"A portal . . . Come on." Egon didn't wait for a answer.

"Why are we listening to him?" Alan stopped Chad for a minute.

"He knows what he's doing? New York hasn't had as many ghosts as the other city's most we've had is class fives. We don't have the same experience as they do."

"Just checking." They followed.

"Sounds like something's happening at the end of the tunnel." Winston watched as the meter steadily grew brighter.

"We should call for back up." Chad murmured.

"The four of us, five once we get Janice, will be sufficient." Egon kept moving. They slowed as the sounds of chanting reached them. Hiding behind a rock formation, they took stock of the situation. Janice was restrained about a hundred feet away.

"She's bleeding." Alan noticed. "Badly."

"Winston-"

"Me and Alan will get Janice out. You two should make a diversion. Then I recomend running." Winston flicked his thrower on.

Janice had given up struggling, instead focusing on getting air. Her research driven mind was curious at what was going on- She had studied Occult Cults and various rituals at Arkham for her doctorate, and this, while being like nothing she had studied, was ringing a bell in the back of her mind.

Only problem was she had over a thousand different things already in it.

A motion out of the cornor of her eye made her glance away. Alan's familiar uniform passed between two rock formations. _What do you know, they actually did come for me._

In the center of the lake, the scarlet cloth was glowing an eerie red. The purle robed man poured the bowl of blood over it, making it shine eerily brighter.

"Hey, you know I was kidding about the jinx thing right?" Janice almost jerked as she heard Alan close by. She glanced at him.

"I'm not so sure you're not right."

As if on Cue, two porton beams struck the gazebo. The water turned violent, and in the confusion that followed, Winston and Alan got Janice free and behind another formation. Alan quckly looked at her arm. "You're going to have scars . . . this needs stitches." He wrapped it up.

"Looks like everyone skeedaddled." Winston noted.

"Looks like they were going to raise someone from the dead." Egon frowned. "That's an extremely risky spell." The water level in the lake had gone down from what it was, and revealed a narrow bridge.

"Who is it, do you know?" Chad glanced at Janice. She shook her head, cradeling her arm.

"Let's check it out, if necessary, we'll have to destroy the body." Egon started walking. Making it across, they gathered round the altar. "Be careful, we don't know if the spell worked and he's just faking." Egon then gripped the sheet and pulled it off.

The thrower fell out of his hand, as the sight of Peter Venkman's body met their eyes. Alan hesitantly reached out and checked for a pulse.

"He's . . . He's got a pulse . . ."

**Yeah, I'm going to be evil and leave it right there. But you should be thankful, I was originally going to end it after Egon dropped his thrower. **


	4. Contact

**Contact**

"This is going to be a mess." Ed grumbled. The teams had separated for an emergency meeting, the originals staying with the comatose Peter Venkman. "It's bad enough we had four of the originals, now we have a potentially resurrected fifth."

"It could be worse, Stantz." Janice held still as Alan stitched her up.

"How?"

"Dr. Venkman's body could still be with those cultists. There's no telling what they were going to use him for."

"Not going to work, Spengler." He collapsed on a couch. "Now what do we do?"

"We make sure that none of them stumble into something they shouldn't." Chad spoke up. "You know, at least one of us sticking with them at all times."

"I'm going to have to go through my books for any references to that cult or spell, so I'll sit with Dr. Venkman." Janice offered. "I'm not going to be much good on busts until my arm heals, anyway."

"I'll take Janine." Ruth offered.

"We'll meet back with information at the end of the day, okay?"

Janice settled down next to the cot that passed as the teams infirmary bed. The infirmary room was on the top floor (mostly so any possessed person could be close to the lab and away from containment.) Peter Venkman hadn't so much as twitched on the ride in. Alan wasn't sure what was wrong (only theory Egon would offer was that perhaps the ceremony only succeeded in re-animating his body, and not bringing back his soul.) and so that meant they had to watch him to make sure. She sighed as she glanced at her left arm, which was bandaged up to her elbow.

"Slimer wasn't too happy about it, either." She sighed and put her reading glasses on. This one was one of five death magic books she had on hand, and the last one she was looking through. The others had either gone out on busts, (Winston, Ed, and Alan) Gone shopping (ruth and Janine) or locked themselves in the downstairs lab, (Egon, Ray and Chad).

At some point, she glanced up to look at Peter again. A few strands of stray hair had fallen into his face, and so she absently brushed them away, quickly jerking her hand back as she accidentally shocked him.

"I hate static." She muttered. She glanced back at the book, and then froze. Her peripheral vision had caught movement. Turning back to the bed, she watched as his arm moved again. "Dr. Venkman?" She put the book down as he groaned, leaning over him. "Dr. Venkman, can you hear me?" Green eyes opened. Then he started to thrash, terrified of something. He knocked off the heart monitor sensor and almost yanked the I.V. out. "Dr. V, stop!" Her trace New York accent thickened slightly in annoyance as she forgot to say his entire name. He stilled. Janice absently straightened her crooked reading glasses. "You're all right, you're safe."

"Ja . . . Janine?" He blinked.

"Um, no . . ." Janice flushed. Her reply was cut off as the thunder of footsteps brought everyone else, they must've returned from the errands early. Something about the noise made him panic again. The door slammed open.

"Peter, stop right now!" Egon shouted. Peter froze, and Janice quickly jerked away to let him by. She bent to pick up her book which had fallen.

"Egon? What's going on?" As the newly resurrected Peter was brought up to date, Janice continued staring at a page in her book. But the calm that had descended was very quickly broken by a flying green slime blob.

Slimer had been sort of dozing after eating 10 hamburgers. Suddenly, he had felt Peter, and then very quickly he felt the others. They were here and he wasn't imagining it! He forgot Janice's instructions as he dove through several walls to tackle Peter in a slimy hug.

"What the heck is that thing!"

"PETEERRRRR!"

"Slimer!"

"Someone get a trap!"

"No, it's alright, it's Slimer, he's harmless!"

"How did it get here?" As the chaos calmed down, Slimer realized his mistake and quickly dove to hide behind Janice.

"What?" Janice glanced up, having been absorbed in her book. Then she noticed the green slime and the others looking at her. "Slimer . . . I told you to stay in the room."

"You better have a good reason to have kept a ghost, Spengler." Ignored for the moment, Peter raised an eyebrow at Egon, who shrugged. The originals watched the interaction.

"Couple good ones, Stantz." Janice glanced back at her book. "Among them, he's been helping me figure out when Armageddon is suppose to start."

"What?"

"Found a hidden room in the library a few weeks ago. It's apparently a failsafe room, only going to open if the ambient PK reaches a certain point. Slimer was in there."

"And you were going to tell us, when?"

"I already did. You said, and I quote 'Get real Spengler, New York's PKE readings are fine, you've been reading too many horror stories.'" She looked up. "Then you closed the lab door in my face. I've been working on it with Slimer since. He at least listens."

"Yeah!" Slimer then stuck out his tongue and slimed Ed. "THBBBBBBT!"

"Slimer." She absently tossed him a wrapped granola bar. "Play nice." He devored it.

" . . . You said Slimer was left in the room?"

"Yeah . . . Oscar –" She trailed off and glanced at the originals. "Slimer, how about you show them the room? I'll do cliff notes and twenty questions with the originals."

"Sure, Janice!" He flew out.

"Okay, Dr. Venkman, can you tell me what you last remember?"

**This chapter was a pain to write. Everytime I thought I got it, I realized there was a plot gap, or a character was missing . . . or I misspelled Venkman as Vankmen. Grrr . . . that name will be the death of me . . . **


	5. Building Bridges

**Building Bridges**

Alan stretched on the couch in the rec/living room on the third floor. He rather enjoyed having a day off, when he could get one. He could hear pretty well, and he knew Ruth and Janine were talking downstairs about fashion, below them, in the basement lab, Ed and Chad were talking with Egon and Ray. Winston and Peter (it was still so weird thinking that his great grandfather and his friends were living with them) were in the kitchen. And Janice-

Thump!

-Had probably just dropped a book, again. He shifted to stare at the ceiling. He worried about her. She was always, well, alone. Though some of the blame was on the rest of them, actually a good chunk, but he didn't really know how to talk to the bookworm. A second thump followed, and he got up. Opening the door to the library he found her cradeling her left arm.

"Janice, are you okay?"

"Alan!" She looked up, and he had to do a double take, she really had an eerie resemblance to her great-grandmother Janine. "I-I'm fine." Alan shook his head as she grabbed a book.

"Let me." He picked it up and put it on the table. "Let me see your arm."

" . . ." She showed him.

"You didn't pull the stitiches . . . what did you do?"

"I fumbled a book . . . it landed on the stitches."

"Why didn't you take the pain killers?"

"They make me tired." She looked at the bandage. "It's not too bad. Sorry if I bothered you." The way she mumbled it made him wince. He really should know better.

"Janice . . . I know we're not friends." She looked at him. "But . . . I don't really mean half the things I say. And I wouldn't wish you hurt or dead for anything."

" . . . Only half the things you say?" Janice raised an eyebrow, taking off her reading glasses. Blue eyes glittered a bit.

"Well . . . you are a bit of a klutz . . . you trip over things, you carry too much stuff and drop half of it . . . that sort of thing . . . though you do have a terrific dive roll."

"You're not one to talk." She smiled. "I recall a certain medic falling down the stairs one morning." He turned red.

"I'll remember that . . . anyway, I'm sorry." The confused look returned. "In . . . I should know that you don't always get a chance to apologize to a comrade. Don't always get a chance to explain that you don't mean harm."

" . . . It's okay, Alan." She smiled. "Thank you for apologizing, though."

"What are you looking for?"

"This book has a page missing." She picked the book she had been reading when Peter had woken up. "The interesting thing is that this page refers to a ceremony that requires a pure of heart's blood. I don't think I qualify for that, but since they just took my blood, the fact the page is missing worries me."

"So what are you looking for? And don't you have any of them electronically?"

"My Occult dictionary. And not any of the more obscure references or that particular book." She scowled at a stack of books. "I know they were chanting names, and I recognized only one as a death god."

"But blood loss made you dizzy and the words ran together?"

"Yeah- Ah hah!" She went to a small table and grabbed a regular dictionary, then traded it out with a book that had been propping the table. "I really need to get that table fixed."

"Wait, Death god?" Alan got her attention.

"Pluto, greek god of death . . . also called Hades. Ruler of the netherworld, blah blah blah." She shifted, opening it. "He thought Zeus and Poseidon were fools for taking sky and oceans, believing the lower earth would have more power."

"You think we're tangling with him?"

"No, He has very little interest in the affairs of the surface and living. He was probably the god they were requesting to release Dr. Venkman's soul." She sat down to flip through it. "They mentioned Charon as well."

"I know that one, guy that ferried the dead from one side to another." Alan sat in a chair nearby.

"Right." She nodded. "Now I just have to figure out who they're actually working for, and hope that Armageddon doesn't happen."

"Do you need any help?" She blinked at him. "You know, two heads are better than one?"

"No, thank you . . . actually, you could do me a favor and keep an eye on your ancestor? They raised him for a reason, I just hope that reason isn't like a sleeper agent." It was a polite dismissal, and Alan took it. "Alan?"

"Yes?" He stopped at the door.

"Thank you." She smiled at him. "And I'm sorry if I ever thought you were a jerk."

He just laughed.

"Slimer!" Peter scowled as the ghost slimed him again. "Lay of the sliming, will yah?"

"Peter, you might want to remember that to him you've been dead for a little less than a hundred years." Winston chided from where he was cooking.

"Still doesn't mean I want to be slimed." Peter then got a smug smirk. "Hey, Slimer, Ray said he has a treat for you in a pocket . . . he wants you to find it." Slimer took off. Winston shook his head.

"Some things'll never change."

"Yeah, I'd of hated to come back to life and find the spud's taken on Egon's traits."

"Is that a bad thing?" Alan stepped into the kitchen.

"I may love Egon like a brother, but that doesn't mean I want more than one of him." Peter retorted. "What's new?"

"Oh, Janice kicked me out of the library." He gave a small smile. "But since she forgave me for being a jerk to her earlier, it's fine."

"About that, why don't you guys get along?" Winston looked at Alan.

"It's not that we don't get along, it's we don't try." Alan sat at the table. "Or at least, Ed doesn't. Janice is a bit of an oddball, especially since she doesn't stay here unless there's an emergency, so we accidentally outcasted her. Ed doesn't like her because his old man and hers had a falling out, and Ruth has an issue with how pretty Janice is. Chad doesn't talk, and the few times he has it nearly came to blows between him and the Stantz twins. And trying to be a mediator is like trying to keep a bomb from exploding by using bubblewrap." He stretched out. "Janice to her credit does try . . . but we kind of all gave up on being friends."

"Why?"

"We can work together on a bust. We just don't work well out of that danger situation."

"Doesn't work that way, kid. You should know if you can trust them with everything." Winston frowned.

"So we should try harder?" Alan looked up.

"You should. At least with Chad and Janice."

"I'm working on it . . ." Something clattered upstairs. "Starting with making sure Janice doesn't pop her stitches." He got up and scowled at the muffle cry that followed. "Too late."

**Another chapter, and I'm still working on the plot.**


	6. Revelation

**Revelation**

Janine glanced up as Janice came down the stairs, Ruth had left on a date, and while there was an unspoken agreement about asking about the originals own future (with the exception on Peter, who had all his memories up until he died, not that he'd even tell them half) . . . there definitely weren't any rules on asking the fourth generation on their own past. "Hey."

"Hey. Ruth gone out?"

"Yes. Are you okay?" Janine pointed at Janice's arm, which she was cradeling.

"Yes, I just banged it, and Alan banned me from trying to lift anything for a while."

"Just banged it?" Alan's voice carried down. "I just re-stitched it because you strained it. I don't care if Apocalypse is tomorrow, you're not allowed back in the library!"

"Worrywart." Janice scowled up the stairs. She then slumped into a chair.

"Mind if I ask you a question?"

"Ask away, I'll figure whether or not it's a bad thing to answer or not."

"Why's your name Janice?"

"I was named after you. Mom insisted." She gave a half smile.

"What's your family size?"

"Just four. Mom, dad, my brother and me." The half smile stayed. "I'm not really a wanted child . . . My mom and dad were happy with my brother."

"Black sheep of the family?"

"I decided I wasn't going to play the princess in an ivory tower like they wanted." Janice sighed. "Last time I even talked to them was two years ago."

"They didn't want you to be a ghostbuster?"

"My father has a bad case of pride. A daughter that didn't fit his plan . . . was an insult." She shrugged.

"Dinner!!" Winston called, ringing a bell. "Janine, will you go get the guys?"

"Ruth had a date?" As they all settled at the table, Janice found herself between Alan and Egon.

"Yeah- Slimer, no." Janice scolded. "You wait." The green ghost pouted, but obeyed.

"Oh, sure, listen to her." Peter crossed his arms.

"I've been training him." Janice shrugged.

"Your personal pet ghost?"

"Oh, hush Stantz." Janice tossed Slimer a roll. "He kept dripping ectoplasm on the books."

"Anyone else find this situation weird?" Ruth walked in, in the middle of the meal.

"What situation?"

"Oh, I don't know, the fact you're sitting at a table with our great-grandads and mother who are currently roughly our age and one was brought back from the dead? It's like someone from the classical age-"

"Classical age?" Janice suddenly had a far away look. "That's it!" She got up and shot up the stairs several at a time.

"You pull those stitches again, I'm not fixing them!" Alan got up and followed to the base of the stairs, He turned and looked at the others. "Anyone have a clue as to what she's thinking?"

"Haven't a clue . . ." Ray trailed off as She came down.

"I was halfway there. Guess who's considered worse than Pluto in the same mythology?"

"Poisedon or Zeus?"

"Thanatos, the actual embodiement of death. He hates mortals." She flipped to a picture of a winged man in a black robe with a sword and a torch pointed down. "He's the basis for our modern day grim reaper. But he's not very pleasant when it comes to taking people to the afterlife. When he took someone, they were in pain for a long time before they actually moved on." She sat down. "Classical artists had a rule of not depicting the gods 'unfavorably' as well as not depicting them as their true nature, so he was eventually toned down." She frowned. "But bringing someone back from the dead isn't is his style."

"He does have brothers and sisters." Egon pointed to a part in the book.

"Yeah, Hypnos, Eris, Geras, Oizys, Moros, Apate, Momos, Nemisis and the Keres." She tapped a patern on the book. "Geras is old age, Oizys is Suffering, Moros is Doom, Apate is Deception, Momos is Blame, Nemesis is Retribution and of course Eris, is chaos or strife, but my personal bet is the Keres. They're violent, bloodthirsty and have a nasty temper. But Apate and Eris are also in the running." Janice sighed. "We've got trouble either way."

"Who's Hypnos?"

"Thanatos's brother, god of sleep. He's beigin. They're usually pictured together . . ." She flipped the page to show two young men sleeping, one in shadow. "Here."

"I thought Somnus was sleep?"

"That's roman, this is greek." Ray piped up. "Different lines. But there's still the problem of why this is going on."

"Well, that's the only thing I'm still working on." Janice put her head on her arms. "I'm going to have to crash here tonight. I didn't realize how late it was."

"You weren't going to be leaving until this emergency is over, anyway." Alan crossed his arms.

"Alan, you're paranoid." She sighed. Ruth glared from her spot behind Janine. "I'll be on the library couch." Sleeping arrangements were hammered out over dessert.


	7. Bonds

**Binds**

_Quite an impressive collection._ Egon slipped into the library, having woken up and been unable to go back to sleep. There were a few stacks of books that didn't make it onto the shelves, and the shelves were practically crammed with books. There were also a couple of plants near the window on a table. Janice was on the couch, reading glasses on and a thick book open on her chest. _It's a little uncanny how much she looks like Janine._ The only differences were their eyes and the fact Janice was taller. Well, that, and Janice's hair was longer as well. One of her legs was hanging off the couch, and he very gently placed it back, along with removing her glasses and marking her spot in the book right before he wrapped a blanket better around her. She barely even stirred. _Must be exhausted, I would have woken up._ Picking up another book, he glanced at the title. _Aschroft's Undead Curses? I've been searching for years for this! _Taking the armchair that had only a few books on its seat, he cleared it off and sat down to read.

"P- Dr. Spengler?" He glanced up an hour later, Janice had woken up. "What are you-?"

"Helping myself to the library. I couldn't get back to sleep." He absently shifted. "You've got quite a collection."

"I have more at home . . ." She fidgeted.

"Janine mentioned you don't get along with the rest of your family."

"More Dad, than my brother or my mom." She shifted. "According to him, I can never keep my head out of the clouds."

"Something we have in common."

"Huh?" He watched her look up, surprised.

"I was considered the black sheep of my family for years after I expressed interest in Paraphysics." Egon watched her expression. "Even after I started Ghostbusters with Peter and Ray, I wasn't really acknowledged."

"I guess that is something we have in common." Egon watched her as she glanced down.

"Something you want to ask?" He watched her glance back up, biting her lip. "You can ask me anything, you know. I'm not your parents." It was funny, he reflected. She was more like Ray, or how Ray was when he first met him. Or some of the shyness he exhibited around Janine. And it was more for that reason than the fact she was his great granddaughter that made him worry about her.

"It's silly . . . but . . . when it's just you and me, Can I . . . can I call you Papa Egon?" He blinked. "Told you it was silly, never mind forget I asked."

"That's fine." A small smile quirked his lips as she glanced up at him again. "But only in private, alright?" She nodded.

"Okay, Papa Egon." She stretched. "What are you reading?"

"Undead Curses, It's rather interesting." They spent several hours talking, at some point, Egon joined her on the couch.

Later, Alan peeked his head in to see both Egon and Janice sitting on the couch reading a large book, with glasses on. Shaking his head he closed the door. Janice really did take after her great grandparents.

* * *

Ray was an early riser by years of working on a farm. Breakfast was also one of the few meals he was allowed to cook since he only tried new things out when it was dinner or Lunch. He had noticed Egon missing from the guy's bunkroom, and chose to just get breakfast together. He'd check out the library later, if Egon hadn't shown by breakfast.

"You're up early." He glanced at Ruth, a little disheveled but awake.

"Force of habit, you?"

"Only time I can get the bathroom before my brother. He takes longer than I do." She shifted, tightening her bathrobe. "Want some help?"

"Sure." The silence wasn't comfortable. "I'm amazed that Ghostbusters has gotten so large, It's a far cry from just four guys and their secretary."

"It's not really that great . . ." Ruth glanced down. "Odd hours, never really knowing if you're going to make a date or an appointment, people's petty problems."

"But you're making a difference. You're fighting to help people. That's important." Ray insisted.

"I use to think that. Then I got stuck here."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ruth blinked and met his eyes, it took a second to realize that she had responded to him like he would her brother. "Even if it's thankless, it's not meaningless."

"I suppose you're right." Ruth glanced down. She was having a hard time keeping herself from relaxing.

"Is this a family reunion?" Ed walked in.

"Something like that." Ruth, feeling a little impish, tossed some flour at her brother.

* * *

"How long do I have to stay up here?" Peter shrugged on a new shirt.

"Sorry, just wanted to monitor you over night." Alan shrugged.

"So you're Charlie's grandson?" Peter glanced over his shoulder.

"Yeah . . . Uh, Oscar's kids are in L.A. and Jessica's are in Texas . . . She married an Oil tycoon." Alan watched as Peter gave a bitter smile. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, just fine . . . I'm brought back for God knows what, I also coincide with the temporally displaced teammates, and I meet my great grandchild. I'm just peachy." Peter sighed as he sat down. Alan sat next to him. "I'm glad they all had good lives . . . I just wish that,"

"You'd been there?" Alan asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, you're here now . . . And it smells like breakfast." Alan noted.

* * *

"Oomph!" Winston accidentally tripped over Chad who slept on the floor. "Sorry about that."

"S'Okay." Chad grunted as he got up. "Sounds like Breakfast."

"Yeah. I'm going to wait a few minutes." Winston laid back on the bed he had been given. "So, got any hobbies?"

"Cars, mostly. Currently trying to work on making the traps and pke meters smaller." Chad settled back down.

"Girlfriend?"

"Mm . . . not yet . . ."

"Why not?"

"Girl I like pays more attention to her job than me." Chad sighed. "Doesn't help that anytime I see her, I can barely get a sentence together, either."

"What's her name?"

" . . . It's Janice." Chad's dark skin hid his blush. "But she's always so focused, either on the occult or botany."

"Botany?"

"Plants, she likes them. Not so much flowers as plants themselves." Chad shifted, looking up. "She's nice though, always checks in on us. Once when Alan and Ed got hurt on a bust, she took care of them until help arrived."

"Why haven't you talked to her?"

"I can't think of anything to say, and when I do, I can't say it." Chad shifted.

"Well, you should probably try." Winston looked down. "I'd start by asking her questions about her plants. She'd probably tell you some technical stuff, but at least it's a conversation opener." Getting up, they entered the kitchen at the same time as Peter and Alan.

"Where's Egon?" Janine glanced at the table.

"He and Janice are in the library." Alan shook his head. "They're buried in a book. It's actually eerie how much they resemble each other." He held up a small device, with projected a picture up. It was Egon and Janice leaning over a book. It took a a second for them to see it was recording, because both of them adjusted their glasses at the same time.

"That is eerie." Peter got up.

"Where are you going?"

"To make sure Egon doesn't corrupt her into talking with big words that no one understands." Peter looked at them. "C'mon, I'm not the only one worried about that?"

"Worried about what Peter?" Egon came down the stairs, Janice just behind him and pulling on a jacket with the ghostbuster logo on the right shoulder.

"See you guys later." She picked up her purse.

"You're not staying for breakfast?"

"Can't." The rest of what she was going to say disappeared with the appearance of Slimer.

"PEETEER!" The little ghost slimed him.

"Slimer!" Peter scowled. "Where's a trap when you need one?" Egon and Ray kept him from doing something rash. Slimer didn't seem to mind.

"JANICE!!" The little ghost gave her a slimy smooch on the mouth. "Morning!"

"Morning Slimer." Janice grabbed a towel from the table to scrub her face. "Anyway, I'll see you later."

"What are you doing?"

"I've got to work on finding that missing page." She grabbed a bagel. "I'll be on my cell, kay?" She didn't pause, heading to the stairs.

"Be careful, you need to take it easy with your arm." Alan called out. "It's not throbbing is it?"

"Nah, it'll be fine." She waved it off. "Catch ya later."

"Why doesn't she live in the firehouse?"

"Beats me."

"Because I'm still in the process of moving in!" Janice's head poked back up the stairs. "I've got another month on my lease, and I'm still moving books here. I think I'll take the room off the library though."

"You heard that?"

"I have very good hearing." She glanced at them. "You wouldn't believe half of what I've heard."

"Uh." Chad glanced at Winston. "Janice, I could drive you in my car." He got up.

"If it wouldn't be a problem."

"No problem." Chad grabbed his keys.

Winston smirked as he glanced down at his food. He caught Peter's eye, who just shook his head.

**In case you couldn't tell, I wanted a purely interactional chapter. There's going to be a couple more like it, but (in case you couldn't tell) The story will mainly be from Janice's point of view. Why? Because I have a habit of choosing one character and focusing on them through out the story, or throughout a chapter. I'm working on fixing that problem.**


	8. Potential

**Potential**

It wasn't going well. Ed Stantz scowled at the figures and barely glanced up as his twin came in.

"What's wrong?"

"The energy needed to transport them back is too much. We don't have access to it!"

"We'll figure it out." She tilted her head. "What else is bothering you?"

"The fact Spengler has been working on saving the world solo, despite being told off by me." Raising a delicate eyebrow, Ruth waited for the other shoe. "I mean, I claim to be an intelligent guy, I have a hard work ethic, but when it comes to her . . . she's just a researcher. She doesn't have much physical strength, she rarely participates in meetings . . ."

"Just because she doesn't, doesn't mean she's not a team player." Ruth slipped into her professional analyzing mode. "She does a lot of behind the scenes, She does the filing, types reports, and then she researches the hotspots around New York."

"I know. She does do a lot . . ." Ed scowled again. "Spengler makes me want to strangle her with how nice and cheerful she can be. 'It's not that bad', 'Don't worry', 'It'll be okay', She always nice. She even backs off when I snap at her."

"And you hate that or like that about her?"

"Both." He messed with a gadget. "I'd hate to lose her . . . but I can't say I really care beyond that. And I get the feeling that our predessors are judging me based on that."

"They probably are." Ruth shrugged. "They're such a tight team . . . Dr. Venkman calmed down when he heard Proffesor Spengler, Mrs. Spen- Melnitz knows all their quirks and how to handle them, Professor Stantz is nice, I saw him cheering up Mr. Zeddemore . . . Honestly, if I didn't know better, I'd say they were brothers and sister."

"Think we'd ever get like that?"

"Well, I suppose if we stopped being the dynamic Duo and actually talked to them?" Ruth gave a half smile. "Mrs. Sp- Melnitz wants a girl's shopping spree. We're going once we get Janice back."

"That sounds boring."

"It won't be. Maybe you should get out of the lab and talk to Alan a bit more."

"Put in a good word for you?"

"what makes you say that?" Ruth looked innocent.

"The fact that any attention he gives Spengler, you glare at her?"

"Oh." Ruth blushed.

"Yeah, oh. You know how he gets when any of us are injured. When I busted my leg a few months ago, he was in complete mother hen mode."

"Yeah, I guess . . . but they've been so . . . buddy-buddy lately."

"You could ask her if she likes him."

"Maybe I will."

"Hey Ruth, look at this." Janice's voice brought her back out of the memory. Ruth glanced to see her holding up a T-shirt with Irrisistable in neat cursive written on it. "Know anyone who'd want to wear this?"

"No." Ruth shook her head, then glanced at the clothes Janice was getting. "Don't you wear anything other than Pants and T shirts?"

"Not really. Don't have much use for fancy stuff."

"Not even on a date?"

"I haven't had a date since college, Ruth. Guys aren't interested in a plain looking bookworm."

"I think we can solve that." Janine grinned. "What do you say Ruth? Fashion intervention?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Ruth grinned. "You sure you don't have anyone you like?" They pulled her over to the dresses.

"Um . . . Just one." Janice looked a little blank at the dress selection. "But he wouldn't look at me like that."

"Really, who?" Ruth looked through a rack.

"Chad." Ruth glanced up, seeing Janice blush. "I like him . . . he's . . . c-cute."

"So you don't have a thing for My brother or Alan?" Ruth watched her shake her head.

"No. Alan's nice, but he's nice to everyone. And Stantz and I don't get along." Janice took an interest in a red dress, checking the tag.

"Why don't you?" Ruth was curious. She knew why her brother didn't like Janice, but she didn't know why Janice didn't like him.

"He's a self absorbed jerk that clearly doesn't like me." Janice's voice was flat. "Sorry to insult your brother, but I'm not going to apologize for feeling like he'd leave me to die when the going gets tough."

"He's not like that!" Ruth glanced over at Janice alarmed.

"Ruth, He's not like that to you. Me, it's an entirely different story."

"Would you do the same to him?" Ruth really wanted to know.

"No. Unfortunately, I'm use to people biting my hand when I try to help them." She looked at another dress. "This would look good on you." It was a red dress with a cream color mixed in. It was a nice length.

"I think you're right."She smiled. "What about this?"

"I don't have the curves." Janice gave a self depreciating smile.

"Here's one." Janine flashed a Blue green dress that had an Emperor waist. "You're trying it on."

"Um, it's awfully expensive . . ."

"That's an easy fix." Ruth grinned. "You don't need this, this-" She took Janice's clothes and frowned. "Janice, do you really think this is flattering on you?" She held up a pair of green pants.

"I don't complain about your wardrobe . . ."

"This is beyond fashion intervention, Ms. Melnitz, this is a fashion emergency." Ruth declared, and proceeded to drag Janice to the changing rooms.

"The girls are back." Peter commented, a bit unnessecarily as the three came in laughing, Janice griping good naturedly about something. "So how was it?"

"Ruth made me blow my budget for clothes and make up." Janice shook her head.

"You needed them. I will not be seen with someone who spells fashion as D-R-A-B." Ruth shook her head. "You can put them in the spare closet in our room."

"Huh?"

"This way I make sure you dress appropriately. When Ms. Melnitz and the others go back, you're sharing my room." Ruth smiled. It had been surprising to realize, but Janice was rather fun to shop with. She had a uncanny instinct for sale items and putting together outfits (even though she wasn't that great at some styles.) Ruth's smile became a grin as she planned another shopping trip.

"No." Janice looked at Ruth. "We are not going shopping anytime soon." She shook her head. "You two took me all over the mall."

"You didn't even know there were other stores other than books, Old Navy and the foodcourt!" Ruth looked at her. "You need to expand your wardrobe more. One trunk worth of clothes is hardly enough!"

"Considering half our job is spent in the sewers or getting slimed?" She looked at her. "I don't need a lot of clothes getting destroyed."

Janine held a satisfied sort of smile on her face as the girls retreated into their room. She'd gotten good at reading people while working with the ghostbusters (occasionally reading one of Dr. V's psychology books or journals) and the two girls were always capable of being friends, they just had to get past the petty emotions that kept them from actually talking.

"About us going back to our time." Egon's bass gained everyone's attention. Rut and Janice came out of the room. "Going over the numbers shows there's not near enough power that we can use without taking it away from containment. It would be a bit more practical for us to help you with the approaching danger of Armageddon, rather than being constantly frustrated by splitting your group into two."

"We could use the help." Janice glanced at Ed.

"Thought you figured out who it was?"

"Who it might be. But we still don't know why." She shrugged.

"I'm with Janice on this one." Alan called out from his spot on the couch.

"We really don't have much of a choice. At least this way, we can get it done quicker." Chad spoke up where he was leaning against the railing.

"I think so too." Ruth nodded.

"Makes it unanimous, then." Ed sighed. Slimer cheered, and hugged and kissed Ed.

"SLIMER!"


	9. Eruption

**Eruption**

"Okay, has anyone seen Janice recently?" Ruth glanced at Alan.

"Um, I think she went home to cross reference something." An Alarm went off.

"Holy-!" Alan stared at a screen readout. "Haven't seen one like this for awhile."

"You're about to tell us it's a relative of the class six we caught six months ago, aren't you?" Ed glanced up. "Spengler, you're late!" Janice walked in, and almost seemed to ignore him.

"We'll take it, leave the originals and Janice here." Ruth grabbed the keys. Janice glanced up and nodded, and Ruth paused. "You feeling okay?"

"Fine, just a little tired. I'll get some coffee and be fine." She waved it off, then absently put on a headset. "See you in a bit."

The originals were watching a movie with Slimer and Peter when the alarm went off. Heading downstairs, they saw Janice enter the part that had once been Peter's office.

"Need any assistance?"

"No, you can relax for this one." Janice nodded to them. Everyone But Peter and Slimer went back upstairs. He entered his old office to find Janice wearing a headset and sipping coffee while watching a screen. She typed something on the keyboard and the scene changed.

"It's on Fifth Avenue," A ghost reminiscent of the blob was causing destruction. "Things mostly physical, no eyes that I can see, but- crap!" The curse had a thick new York accent that went with it. "It absorbs organic material! That's how it's getting bigger!" A tree had disappeared from it's place on the sidewalk.

"Relax, Spengler, we'll get it." Ed's voice crackled.

"Stantz, the ghost grows stronger with every organic thing it absorbs, it's fast approaching a class seven on the readout!"

"We've got it." Janice crossed her arms and scowled at the screen as the truck screeched to a halt. The proton beams glanced of it.

"Dangit!"

"Use the destabilizer." Janice scowled at the screen. "Stantz? Someone? Use it!" Peter watched as Chad finally used the destabilizer on the creature. It was easily trapped from there. Peter watched her scowl deepen, and gently tugged Slimer back upstairs.

"Peter?" Ray noted his return.

"We might want to go downstairs to make sure the Stantz line remains intact." Peter shook his head. "Because the Melnitz temper is about to rear its ugly head."

"It didn't go well?"

"Ed didn't listen to her." They met the car as it came in.

"That was annoying-" SLAM! The door to the office slammed shut. Janice walked out, her focus purely on Ed. "What's wrong Spengler?" He didn't see her fist until after it contacted with his jaw. He stumbled back and hit the truck.

"I don't talk for the enjoyment of it, Stantz! You could have finished that ghost quicker if you had listened to me! I don't want to hear anything about you're being the physisct and I'm just the occult expert, because that's a lame excuse. I have studied all the past cases all the teams of ghostbusters have done! If a ghost or monster is physical you need the destabilizer to make it easier to trap." She had gotten him pinned against the truck and was glaring at him, all six foot and one inch of her trembling in anger. "Heck, I almost didn't exist because that thing destabilized my great grand father!" Egon winced, that hadn't been a fun memory. "Whether or not you think my doctorate is useful doesn't change the fact that I am one of the leading experts in my field! And I have been researching everything I can find so we can actually fight. I'm a part of this team whether you like it or not, so start acting like it!" A final death glare, and she turned and stormed upstairs. Janine and Slimer followed her, and everyone else just blinked, recovering from that outburst.

"Way to go Ed, I think you just ticked off Janice."

"More like straw that broke the camel's back." Ruth frowned. Something crashed upstairs, and Janine came back down.

"She slammed the door on me." Alan shot up the stairs at another crash, Ruth dragged Ed up the stairs as well. Chad absently finished something on Ecto 25, and then followed them. Peter stopped Egon and Ray.

"Let them fix it. We can't do anything to help them right now." Peter released them.

"I hope they get their act together."

* * *

"Janice, it's Alan, I'm coming in!" Alan heard another crash, this one followed by a thump as something hit the floor. It took a minute of fumbling with the door latch, and by that time, the others had caught up. Janice was kneeling in the center of the room, several books and a couple of heavy objects had been thrown around.

"Oooh, Janice . . ." Slimer hugged her neck and gave her a slimy kiss on the head. "I love youuu!"

"Thanks, Slimer . . ." her right hand gently patted Slimer's head. "At least I can count on you . . ." Alan winced at the slight punch to his gut.

"Janice, did you hurt your arm again?" Alan knelt next to her. She turned her head away. "Janice?" He made her look at him. A tear slipped down her cheek, surprising him. "Hey, you can count on me too, you know that right?"

"No, I don't."

"Hey, we're getting to be friends, it's not exactly a smooth process, since we haven't tried before now." Ruth put a hand on her shoulder.

"Doesn't erase what's happened before, Ruth. You can't erase calling me weird or a klutz behind my back. Or not bothering to stand up for me when I'm not in the room. I'm doing my best . . ."

"I know, I'm sorry." Ruth wrapped an arm around her, ignoring some slime from Slimer. "But we're going to try harder."

"You made yourself an easy target, hiding away from us." Ed winced at the angry glare.

"You didn't let me in. You wouldn't let me in." She let another tear fall.

"None of us tried very hard." Chad's voice came from the door. "We can only blame ourselves."

"Wonder how it's going upstairs." Ray glanced up at the ceiling from where they were sitting down.

"We don't have a lot of time for them to get their act together." Egon looked up from a rather small (for him) book.

"And we're no closer to finding where the cavern was." The portal that Winston had fallen through was gone. They had checked it out first thing after they rescued Janice. Every lead they had turned up blank.

"Ambient PKE has remained stable for the past few days." Wintson absently noted a readout left by Ed.

"What did you say?" Egon looked at him.

"The read outs, they're average for the past few days," Winston was cut off as Egon practically lunged for the readouts.

"What are you thinking Egon?" Peter gave a half smirk.

"Ambient PKE shouldn't stay the same, in any place, for any length of time. Tempers flare, car accidents, muggings . . . they all make it change." Egon began going through all the read outs. "There are two areas that have kept the same ambient PKE with no fluctuations. Time Square and Central Park." Egon held up the sheets. "I think that makes it two possible locations for our cultists."

"Right, so now what?"

"Now, we wait for the kids to get their heads together and we can get going."

"Not you Peter." Egon's blue eyes were stern. "We can't risk you being anywhere near them."

"But . . ."

"You're staying here. I'm also going to recommend Janice staying here. Her left arm still isn't good."

"Actually, You, Dr. Stantz and Stantz are coming with me." Janice corrected as the younger ghostbusters trooped down stairs. "Got a friend who knows a lot of obscure information, he wants to meet in an hour, then I'll stay put."

"I hope the spud isn't going to stay." Peter crossed his arms. Put out.

**Some day, I'll go back over this story and fix some of the time lapses that seem to constantly plague my writing.**


	10. Obscure

**Obscure**

"This is your experts place?" Ed stared at the decrepit building. (Ruth was with Winston and Chad checking out a class five report, Janine was with Alan and Peter doing whatever the medic needed done.)

"Never said he was an expert, Stantz, just said he knew a lot of obscure stuff." She walked up the steps.

"Why do you two call each other by your last names?" Ray's question made them look at each other, then at the stranded originals.

"Habit."

"Beats me." Janice knocked on the door, then remembered something. "Oh, he's a little off, so try not to insult him, which includes being sarcastic."

"Right, like I," Ed was cut off by the door opening, and a large beak like nose sticking out the crack.

"Who is it?" An old crackling voice grated out.

"It's Jan Spengler and some friends. We ran into a problem and we need your help." Jan kept a kind smile on, while Ed's motuh closed from being open in disbelief. The nose sniffed the air a moment, and the door opened.

"Come in." Entering, Ray and Egon did a quick double take. It eerily looked like a copy of the crazy man that made a deal with a devil to get rid of the chickens. (Cubby, if Ray remembered right.) Only difference was this guy was a little cleaner and wore a thick green jacket and a fedora. "Well?"

"A page in this book is missing, but we're fairly sure it regards to Thanatos or one of his siblings. The only thing we don't know is why." She handed him the book, which he promptly studied.

"Heh. Come, Come." He closed the book and walked quickly to another room. "Sit, Sit . . . Thanatos hates humans with a passion. Only comes out when war happens. Sister, Keres, She comes out when it's a murder. Maybe Suicide, too, but definetly murder, preferably of passion preferably a violent bloody death." He made an odd chuckling sound. "Thanatos wouldn't be happy, last war was ten years ago, lasted half a year and there hasn't been any other skirmishes of his like for over fifty years. Always rides with Aries."

"Are there any cults that follow him?"

"No . . . just Keres's Cult." Beady eyes glittered. "But they wouldn't bring anyone back, not yet. Not unless it was a pillar."

"Pillar?" Ray asked, interested.

"Someone who always hangs between death and life! The very nature of that person is to keep the neutral balance!" He chuckled, "Only ever heard of one for sure, his death shook the underworld, couldn't move on, couldn't stay, demon locked his soul away."

"Like Peter Venkman, the ghostbuster?"

"That's the one!" The man cackled. "Oh, no one on either side was happy with his death. His soul is valuable . . . a pillar's soul is always valuable."

"Jake . . . why would they bring a pillar back to life?"

"To destroy the balance! There's only ever one true pillar alive at one time. Any others with their potential give them power, when they die, the next one takes the mantel, and so on!"

"Any clue what they want to do?"

"Oh, plenty of clues, plenty of clues! But it's not time!" Jake's beady eyes flashed. "Not time yet! Thirteen full Moons! Dawn will tell!" Cackling he got up, and left.

"That was . . . different." Ed finally managed.

"Is he coming back?" Janice got up and picked up her book. She glanced out the door he left by, and shook her head at Egon. They followed her out to Ed's car.

"He's got a few screws loose."

"You would too, if you got possessed and no one helped you until you were old." Janice glanced up from opening her door. "First time I met him, PKE meter went nuts. Pulled the entity out with a trap. Poor guy has all the knowledge of the entity, but his mind can't really take the pain." The door opened, and a box sailed out, landing by Janice's feet. They all heard cackling as the door closed. Janice picked it up.

"What's in it?" Ray glanced from the passenger seat.

"It's registering on the PKE meter." Egon frowned. "Not dangerous, though." Opening it revealed a box with a puzzle top and a note.

" 'This might help'." Janice shrugged, and began fiddling with the puzzle box.

"Why don't you just bust it open?" Ed suggested.

"Because it's magic." Janice glanced up. "Opening it will take time." She smiled as she got a corner in place.

"Have fun." Ed snorted.

"I'd have thought you would know to have patience."

"Can anyone else help us?"

"One other . . . but he's even more dubious than Jake." She sighed. "Let's go."

The occult shop that they pulled up alongside was eerily still. It simply read 'Occult' and had offerings for Palm readings, horoscopes, and magic items. Inside was red carpet and black ebony shelves. Skulls, archaic bottles, and other things adorned them. The door opened with a scream.

"Lovely place, isn't it early for Halloween?" Ed looked at Egon and Ray. Janice just walked up to an ornate gong and hit it.

"Coming!" A thin haired blonde man wearing all black and a attempt at a mustache and goatee came out of a door. "Janny! How are you?"

"Just fine Rick. Know when thirteen full moons are going to happen?"

"Ah, it's happening right now." He noted her blink. "Not lying, it's been a full moon for over a week now, and my magic almanac shows- ugh" He grunted as he picked up a large book and opened it. "Shows that there are going to be thirteen of 'em."

"Nine down, four to go . . ." Janice muttered, Ray looked over her shoulder.

"Yeah, interesting thing about them is they coincide with weird time shifts, people lose minutes that they can explain, and it seriously messes up appointments." Rick noted the looks. "Is that bad?"

"No . . . but it might explain a lot . . . got anything written on this?"

"Sure thing!" He disappeared and returned with a stack of books. "I was just reading up, want me to send anything else to you?"

"Please, and just send it to Ghostbusters." She smiled. "Thanks Rick."

"Anytime . . . sure you don't want to try the reincarnation test? I'm pretty sure you and I were an item in another life."

"I'll pass, thank you."

"Let me guess, that's why you didn't want to go?"

"How could you tell, Stantz? You try getting hit on everytime you walk into a place, it very rapidly becomes the last place you want to go." She flipped through a book.

"Umm, shouldn't you have paid?"

"The owner's a friend of mine." She looked up. "And she owes me, big time." She passed a book to Egon. "This refers to time shifts, might help figure a way back for you."

"Ray and I want to talk about the sensors and take some readings."

"Drop me off at the office and I'll give you some of my records." Janice absently suggested. Her arm was starting to throb again. "You're going to meet everyone else in Times Square, aren't you?"

"Yes . . . are you okay?"

"Tired. Haven't been sleeping well recently."

"Why not?" Ed's head jerked around at the stop light.

"Bad dreams, mostly." She raised an eyebrow. "Especially since I was almost sacrificed."

"That would do it."


	11. Elimination

**Elimination**

Four Full Moons

"Is that all you're going to do? Play with that box?" Peter stuck his head in the library door.

"It's the only potential lead we have, and I'm good at puzzles." About half the box was a picture. "I think this has to be thirteen full moons for us to open it." She paused. "Do you need something?"

"Well, I'm curious to know why you aren't attending this Museum charity ball." He dangled two tickets in front of her eyes.

"Where did you get those?" She tried to lunge, but thought better of it at the last moment.

"Your planner. You left it open downstairs and they were sticking out." Peter grinned. "They're for tonight, everyone else is chasing shadows, and I'm not interested in movies."

"I don't have anything to wear . . ."

"What about that dress Janine and Ruth got you to buy?"

"Uh . . ." She tensed.

"Hey, it'll be fun. You need to get out more." Peter's smile softened to something more genuine. "Trust me."

" . . . What would you wear?"

"Ed's about my size. He's got a nice suit."

"I'm not interested in going."

* * *

"Dr. Spengler! I'm pleased you could make it!" A smiling man, (who peter was struggling to think of who he resembled) greeted them at the door.

"Thank you for the invite, Dr. Peck." Peter struggled not to whip his head around and stare. He only partially succeded. "Quite a gathering."

"The quality of the party has just elevated my dear." He smiled, kissing her hand. "May I reserve a dance?"

"Uh- yes." Another smile, and he drifted off to greet other guests. "That was the right answer right?" Janice looked at Peter.

"Depends, is he as big of a jerkwad as his greatgrandfather?"

"He's always been nice to me, offered me a job here." She fidgeted, staring at the dance floor. "I help out here sometimes, we talk." Peter nodded, silent.

"Shall we tour the exhibits?" He watched as she visibly brightened at that. The point wasn't to scare her, it was to get her to relax.

"Still have this thing?" Peter stared at the painting of the four with Oscar. It was the center of the ghostbusters pictures, while Ecto One and Two were in the center of the room. He absently patted Ecto's hood.

"Yes . . . Dana helped design it." Janice smiled.

"I know you can't talk much about the other's future to them . . ." Peter stared at a slightly grainy TV ad of ghostbusters with the original four. It was next to a slightly melted and twisted pack, with a card designating it as the pack he was wearing when he died. "But please . . ."

"Winston died in a car accident when he was 67." Janice directed him to a series of articles. "Egon and Janine died within a day of each other, natural causes. Ray was the last to go. He was a little over a hundred." She watched Peter give a sad smile. "He had the most children of you all. Seven."

"He named his first kid after me?" Peter stared at the picture.

"Yeah . . . Egon and Winston had your name as their kids middle name." She glanced at a section that was still blank. "Became a tradition in the ghostbuster line, I guess. First born guy always has Peter as a middle name."

"Edward Peter Stantz? Alan Peter Venkman?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Alan's the middle child. Yes to Stantz, Chad doesn't have a middle name, eldest sister does though." She shrugged at his look. Moving on, they came to a old fashion ballroom.

"You really like history, don't you?" Peter watched her point various things out.

"I find it fascinating how people were able to survive. Without technology or any modern convenice. No pollution, no traffic . . . but that's me."

"Most everyone has a point when they fantasize about some time period. I wanted to live when men were allowed to have more than one wife." He watched her laugh, a white gloved hand covering her mouth. "What? I think I could pass as royalty."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common. I wanted to be a princess and get rescued by a Knight when I was little. Then I got tired of waiting." She gave a half smile. "I still want it, though."

"Most kids do. Girls, well, most of them, want to be fought over and won by the good guy, Guys are possessive and somehow, fighting for or protecting a girl makes them feel like a man." Peter shrugged. "It's probably some deep seated instinct, back when women only took care of the cave and raised kids, and were therefore important to protect."

"I probably wouldn't actually do very well sitting and waiting for the hero, though. I'd probably help him fight."

"Well, depending on the guy, that's a good thing to." Peter grinned, and bowing offered his hand, "May I have this dance, fair maid?" Janice laughed.

"Of course, sir." She curtseyed and they danced for a bit. Then they moved on.

* * *

"Nothing!" Ed growled at the PKE meter. "The readings aren't changing, Maybe it's the equipment?"

"Equipment's fine." Chad looked up. "Magic shouldn't affect machines like this . . ." A scraping sound brought their attention to Winston and Egon, who were lifting the manhole cover.

"Last place to check." Ray offered.

"Yuck, sewers." Ruth made a face.

"I call first shower when we get back." Alan went down the ladder, then poked his head back out. "Sooner we get this done, sooner we can stop the end of the world." Ray was right behind him.

"I don't get paid enough." Ed grumbled as he followed his sister.

"Neither do I." Janine frowned as she stepped down.

"Got a reading over this way."

"Then let's go."

* * *

"Nice statue . . . looks like modern art." It was a twisted bunch of metal. Janice shook her head.

"It's a part of a temple. Dating has it around the bronze age. What it was used for isn't known, it was in the center."

"Is it supposed to glow?" Peter frowned, something in the center was glowing.

"I don't think so- " Something burst out of it. "Just my luck."

"I think it's more mine." It was a pink glowing thing, that probably would've looked cute, if it wasn't tearing things apart. "What is it?" Janice slid and stared at a panel, quickly typing in information.

"Uh, potentially, I'd say the deity that the altar was for." She got to his side. "We might want to run now."

"Does that half melted pack of mine on display still work?"

"I haven't a clue . . . traps might." The two took of, and the entity chased them. "Duck!"

The entity crashed into the display.

"Hey, pink stuff, over here!" Janice called it's attention, long enough for Peter to grab the pack and look at it.

"Jan-AHH!" Dr. Peck walked in, took one look at the entity, and yelled. Janice yanked him behind a low railing, almost crashing into Peter. He passed her a trap and grinned as the pack turned on.

"It does have a half life of 5 thousand years, you know." Janice shook her head at his grin.

"I know, Spengs told me. Ready?" She nodded, while Dr. Peck hyper ventilated. "GO!" Peter wrangled the entity and she tossed the trap, activating it by stomping on it. The entity screeched, and went into the trap. "One busted ghost."

"Hey, Mack, you okay?" Janice let Peter turn off the pack and put it back, while she dealt with the scared museum director.

"G-g-g-host!"

"It's gone now." She patted his shoulder. "We won't charge you, since you're going to need to use the money fix up the exhibit, okay?" He nodded. "We better get back to the traps might have been built to last, but that's been sitting doing nothing for a good amount of time."

"You can . . . take my car." He regained some color. "I'll pick it up tomorrow."

"Thanks. And you might want to get an expert from Arkham to go over that altar piece in the bronze age exhibit." She accepted the keys and she a Peter quickly left with the trap.

* * *

"Ray . . ." Ray nearly jumped a foot as Slimer touched his shoulder. They'd been walking for quite some time, even dropping a couple levels at one point.

"What's wrong Slimer?"

"Something ahead . . . something baad . . ." Slimer droped ectoplasm and Egon glanced at the PKE meter.

"The needle's twitching."

"Shouldn't it be moving more than that?" Chad scowled, absently. "I'm going to have to rework the meter again . . ." Something roared up ahead.

"This night just got better." Ed's sarcasm was followed by Alan and Winston's cry of, "Duck!"

* * *

"And in." Janice sighed, relieved as she locked the unit.

"Night's still young, we can probably go clubbing." Peter offered.

"I'm afraid not, we're going to Arkham."

"Why?"

"Their library has more in it." She looked at him. "That altar has been there for fifty years, I find it interesting that it chooses now to release the entity."

"I'm going to be sleeping in a chair, aren't I?" Peter sighed. "We can't catch a flight . . ."

"We'll take Ecto 27. You might want to change." Moments later, both where on the roof of the firehouse.

"I hoped it was a gyro or something . . ."

"What's wrong with a hover bike?" It had a resemblance to a jet ski, but with a wider base.

"How's it work?"

"I kinda zoned on the technical part of how it works." She gave him a helmet with a sheepish grin. "Ecto 28's a helicopter, but it's being repaired."

"Just . . . don't do any stunts." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "I don't want to re die just yet."

"Hush." Janice sped across the tops of buildings, ignoring Peter's grip tightening. "While I'm thinking about it, what do I call you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Peck didn't notice I didn't introduce, and I doubt he very much noticed that you look like your life size picture." She glanced over her shoulder. "I need to be able to call you something."

"Just call me Dr. V., then. You did that once before."

"Yeah . . . gut reaction."

* * *

"That . . . is one large terror dog . . ." Ed gulped. Gray skin and gleaming white teeth, filled the tunnel up ahead. "We left the destabilizer in Ecto 25, didn't we?"

"It's was your turn to carry it!" Chad snapped at him.

"We just found the reason why Times Square is giving weird readings."

"No, we found part of the reason." More glowing red eyes were farther down the tunnel. "It's a pack!" Janine glanced at them.

"Um, maybe we should come back later . . . like when we have the destabilizer and more traps." Ruth gulped, backing into Slimer.

"I second that . . ." Alan glanced at Egon, who had also backed up.

"Yes, it would be more prudent." The terror dog didn't case them, content with the intruders leaving it's packs territory.

"Well . . . might want to try central park."

"After we get some sleep. It's almost dawn."As they pulled up to the firehouse, they noticed a car in the spot just outside. "Who's car is that?" Slimer just floated up the stairs as they got out.

"Janice and Peter must be asleep."

"Janice and Peter are gone." Slimer's announcement made them pause from unloading Ecto 25.

"Here we go again . . ." Ed's head hit the side of the truck. He began muttering under his breath.

"What's that noise?" Ray glanced up, it was coming from upstairs.

"Ecto 27!" Chad shot up the stairs, Alan and Ruth right behind him.

"Peter! Janice!" Slimer disappeared through the ceiling.

As the originals joined them, they could hear Peter yeliing at Slimer. Opening the door revealed the two missing ghostbuters, covered in slime and either annoyed (Peter) or amused (Janice).

"Why do you have to keep sliming me? Slime Egon or someone!"

"He loves you Dr. V. It's like telling an over affectionate dog not to lick your face." Janice took a box from the back.

"Let him be affectionate with someone else!" Peter scowled, arms crossed. Janice grinned, and playfully swatted his hair with a slime covered hand.

"Think of it like how cats go to people who don't like them." She yelped as he tossed a particularly congealed slime blob at her. "Hey!"

"Where were you?" Ed glared at her.

"Arkham." She grinned, holding up the box. "Necronomica didn't have anything, but it did gives us clues for this book."

"Which you are not reading right now." Peter stole it away. "Alan, hide this."

"Hey!"

"You need sleep. You spent most of the night reading old books." Peter crossed his arms.

"But we've only got two more days . . ." She was quickly overruled.

"Oh, yeah, a guy called Dr. Peck who works at the museum let us borrow his car and will be by to pick it up later." Peter noted the looks the younger ghostbusters gave him. "Janice knows him."

"That jerk?" Ed scowled.

"Here we go again . . ." Ruth sighed.

"Why is he a jerk?"

"Ed and him had some rather unfriendly rivalry in college. There are still some . . . hard feelings left over."

"Well, he's sweet on Janice, so you might want to be careful." Peter noted the look of horror on Ed's face. "What?"

"He's not dating her. Ever." Ed turned. "Hey, Slimer, I'm going to need a favor!"

"I'm staying out of this." Ruth shook her head.

"I'd like to look at the volume . . ."

"No way. No Spenglers are touching this book. You're sleeping for at least four hours." Peter nodded at Alan.

"I'm with him on this, Spengs."


	12. Danger Inherent

**Danger Inherent**

Three Full Moons

"Anyhting yet?" Ray, Janice and Egon glanced up from the book. They were sitting on the living room couch. Peter decided to snag the smaller sofa.

"Not yet . . . there's a blank page right here . . ." Janice glanced down. "There are several blank pages, actually . . . where's Slimer?"

"In the kitchen! Get out of here!" Ruth and Janine chased Slimer out. Downstairs the phone rang.

"I got it!" CRASH! "Still got it!" Ed yelled up. "Ghostbusters."

"Slimer, hold still." Janice snagged some ectoplasmic goop. "Thought so." Where the ectoplasm dripped, words and lines appeared.

"We got a call!"

"But of course . . ." Ruth groaned. "I just got cleaned up from the last one!"

"Janice stays here!" Alan yelled as he slid down the pole.

"What? Why?"

"You're on medical suspension!" He called up.

"That's not fair Alan!"

"Who's the medical doctor? Oh, right, me."

"Argue later, you two." Ed sighed.

"I'm not an invalid!" Janice called out.

"No, You just keep pulling stitches! You're not allowed to lift anything heavy while I'm gone!"

"I'm not going to talk to you for a week when this is over, Venkman!" The doors slammed and she sighed. "Maybe two, depending." She crossed her arms.

"Ruth normally get's left behind, I take it?"

"Ruth or Ed, they both have much better people skills than me, Chad and Alan."

"Alan?"

"Alan shows a lot more emotion when one of us is hurt. If we're fine, he retreats into whatever medical journal or whatever project he's working on." She shrugged. "I've been staring at the book for too long." She muttered, rubbing her eyes.

"Take a break, we can take it from here." She nodded. And disappeared upstairs. A few moments later, Ray whooped in excitement.

"It's Thanatos and Keres, alright! They're supposed to clear the world of all the unbelievers so the gods can return!"

"Ray, not to put a damper on your excitement, but that's bad." Peter leaned over Ray's shoulder to look at the book. "Why'd I have to be brought back?" There was a thud upstairs.

"Simple, Death's door is only supposed to open one way," Egon adjusted his glasses as Janine sat a little closer than most normal people would next to him. Winston positioned himself between Ray and Egon, knowing better than to get inbetween Janine and her crush. "Bringing someone back from the dead forces the door to open the wrong way, and then . . . oh no . . ." Egon stared at the page.

"What is it?"

"Where's Janice?"

"Upstairs, why?" Egon didn't answer as he and Ray shot up the stairs. The other three OGB's looked at each other and then raced upstairs as well. Janice was laying on the ground, unconscious, with Slimer trying to wake her up. "Egon?"

"The ratio- " Egon caught himself, "Sorry, But if Peter was what forced the door open, then Janice is the door stop keeping it open."

"What . . . why?"

"The gods followed their own set of rules, they were locked away from the real world over the years." Egon glanced up. "They needed the door open."

"If I re-die, will that close the door?" Peter saw the conflicted looks. "Worth a shot, then." He grabbed a letter opener and then, before anyone could stop him, stabbed himself in the heart. Winston very quickly yanked it out, and they all stared as the hole closed. "Damnit."

"I'd need more about the spell, but I think it's safe to say that as long as the spell works, you can't die." Egon finally managed. Janice groaned.

"Damn . . ." She muttered. Then opened her eyes. "Oh . . ."

"You alright?"

"Just . . . tired . . ." She shuddered. "I don't feel so good." Janine helped her up and to the couch.

"We found out more about what's happening."

"Great . . ." She muttered, eyes trying to close. "Whatcha got?"

"The spell . . ." Egon trailed off, she had already fallen asleep. "It's draining her life force, slowly."

"So she'll keep getting tired . . ."

"Until she goes into a coma and dies." Egon sighed. "We need to find the cavern, soon."

* * *

Ed slipped out of Ecto, wincing at a slight throb of pain in his leg. "I hate it when they throw things." He muttered to Alan, who just smiled. Ed watched as suddenly, the smiled paled from Alan's face.

"What's wrong?" Alan addressed Janine, who looke a little upset.

"Found out what the spell does." Janine sighed. "We've got another reason to stop this from happening."

"What's that?"

"Janice's life force is being drained to keep open the portal."

"Wait, shouldn't we have had the bad guy through already?"

"Not nescesarly." Egon and the others descended. "One man brought back to life, means the door was opened, but then it would've closed automatically. Janice keeps it from doing that, for example, say this is the door." He picked up a piece of wood and put it on the front desk. "This is life." He placed a white sheet of paper on one side, "and this is death." He put a colored piece of paper. "Now, normally, the door only opens this way, into death, and then closes right behind. If you don't make it through the door, you become a ghost. But Peter, as a supposed pillar, was brought back to life, forcing the door open the wrong way." He made the wood move to be at an angle on the white paper. "Now, the door should've closed right away, returning the status quo. But Janice's part in the spell keeps the door like this." The wood was position so the 'door' was partially on the white paper, a sliver of white showed right next to the colored paper. "She can't hold the door open for long, but it'll be long enough for Thanatos and the Keres to realize it's open and come through."

"And when they do?"

"Say Janice is this pencil." Egon then moved both the wood and the pencil, making the door close and pushing the pencil onto the colored piece of paper. "Even though the door would open for them to pass, she won't be able to move, she's too close to the edge. She'll die."

"Damn . . ." Ed muttered.

"Anyway to stop it?"

"A slim chance . . . if we can stop the door from opening a second time, Peter will be able to re-die, then Janice will be safe." Egon adjusted his glasses. "But that's the only chance we have."

"Some chance, no matter what we do, someone dies!" Ruth looked at the model.

"Yeah, but you should be more concerned about Janice. I've already been dead." Peter reminded them.

"More important thing no matter what happens is we stop Thanatos cold." Janice took the lift down. "We don't do that, it's not going to matter who dies, cause we're all pretty much dead." She leaned against the rail for a moment. "Some more than others."

"We need to check out Central Park still."

"You also still need to chek out times Square." Janice corrected.

"Why?"

"Because the Terrordogs are more than likely guarding something, Stantz." Chad helped her to the couch. "Right, Doc?"

"It's a possibility." Egon nodded.

"Great, this is starting to sound better and better." Peter rolled his eyes. "The spud and I will take Times Square."

"Peter?"

"We're the two most likely to survive, and the most expendable." Peter shrugged. "And the Spud can easily get you if something goes wrong on my end."

"He's right." Egon muttered. "I hate it, but he's right."


	13. Searching Pattern Part 1

**Search Pattern**

**Part 1**

Getting Ready to search the two areas took some time. During which Janice continued to weaken, and Alan insisted she stay in the small infirmary. He would start helping with equipment, but then he would rush off to check on Janice.

"You know, you either help or take care of Janice, Alan, we've got more than enough help." Ed finally snapped. Alan blinked in shock, and Ed softened a bit. "She needs you a lot more than we do right now."

"Yeah, about that." Janine looked up from where she was kneeling next to Egon, helping with some equipment. "I think I'll sit this one out to help Alan take care of her. She shouldn't be alone."

"That sounds like a good idea." Peter nodded. He and Slimer were adjusting a proton pack for the ghostly ghostbuster.

"Alright, so that's Alan, Janice and Janine here, Peter and Slimer have Times Square, and the rest of us have central park." Ruth sighed. A beeping noise sounded from Alan and he quickly shot up the stairs.

Everything was loaded into Ecto 25 when he came down, frowning.

"You guys have to hurry." Alan was quiet and serious. "She's having trouble breathing on her own now."

"She should have more time . . ." Egon frowned.

"Let's go . . . where's Chad?"

"I think he went to the restroom." Ruth shrugged.

Chad was actually standing in front of the open infirmary door. Janice's fair skin had gone pale, and there was an oxygen mask over her face. Quietly, he walked over to her side, and gently covered her hand with his. Her eyes fluttered open and looked at him. "Chad? Shouldn't you be going?"

"Yeah, I just . . ." His throat clogged up. "Just wanted to check on you." She smiled at him, before her eyes fluttered close and she fell asleep. Swallowing, he bent down and kissed her forehead. "I love you." He whispered, and then exited the room.

As the team for central park left, Peter finished with his own equipment check. Slimer had drifted up to check on Janice before they left, and Peter decided to do the same.

"I'll be okay, Slimer. You guys just focus on busting the guys that started this mess, okay?" Janice soothed the worried ghost.

"Janice . . ." Slimer moaned. "Don't want you to go!"

"She's not going anywhere, Spud." Peter came over. "We're heading out now, you better gear up." Slimer gave Janice a slimy kiss and went straight through the floor. "You going to be okay, Princess?"

"Yeah, I have two mother hens watching me, wait, 'Princess'?" Peter struggled not to laugh as she managed to give him the same look Egon did when Peter had done something annoying and confusing (top ten on that list was bailing Peter out of jail while the psychiatrist was wearing a chicken outfit).

"Hey, it's an uncle's prerogative to give his great-niece a nickname that embarrasses her." He watched her carefully a minute as she briefly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry we had to meet like this."

"Yeah, me too." She gave a weak smile. "But thanks for escorting me to that gala . . . That was real fun." Peter smiled, and gently kissed her forehead.

"You'll be okay Princess, we'll bust the ones that did this, I promise." She gently squeezed his hand and gave him another weak smile.

"I know you will." Peter gave a sad smile as her eyes closed again. Then he slipped out of the room to join Slimer.

"Hey." Alan stopped him. "I . . . Even with the circumstances, I'm glad to have met you." Peter smiled.

"Likewise, Alan. You're doing your family proud." Peter waved and then continued on.

Janine was absently filing her nails when Peter came down. "Janine, you do have your pack, right?"

"Yes, Dr. V. Anything ghostly that's not Slimer isn't getting near her. There's a pack under her bed as well." Janine stopped filing her nails. "But I can't do much else to stop her from dying. This is like Egon being destabilized all over again." Peter just put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll pull through, don't worry."

"You know, I'd thought I'd be happy, hearing Egon and I get together . . . but right now . . ." Janine glanced down. "Do you know that Janice hasn't talked to her family in years? And before them, she wasn't the wanted child? If there's a family function she'll show up for an hour and then take off. Her father has all but disowned her, for choosing to be a ghostbuster instead of a 'real Lady'."

"Then I guess this is your chance to give her a family. She needs a nuturing figure right about now." Peter gave her a hug. "I'll be back, I still have some time left here."

"You better . . . I don't want to bury either of you just yet." Janine watched as Peter and Slimer left in the truck.

* * *

"Okay, Ruth and Winston pair up, I'll go with Chad, and Egon and Ed are another team." Ray suggested as they got ready to explore the park.

"Keep in radio contact and be careful." Winston added. "Last thing we need is for us to be another ghostbuster short."

The teams split up, working mostly in silence.

* * *

"Yecch, I always hated this part of the job." Peter absently complained to Slimer. "It takes a while to get the smell out of my boots." Slimer just drifted closer to Peter. "Something wrong, spud?"

"Don't want you all to go again . . ." Slimer looked at him sadly. "Don't like being alone . . ."

"I know, Spud . . . but you need to keep an eye on Janice and these guys . . . they're not quite there with their teamwork, and Janice really likes you." Peter patted his head. "Besides, it's not your time just yet, Spud." Slimer gave a soft 'aw' sound, before floating after Peter.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Janine took her spot by Janice's bed.

"Tired. Even talking and breathing is taking an effort." Janice winced as she moved her head. "My arm hurts . . ."

"The guys will figure it out, don't worry . . . they've done the impossible before." Janine gently put a hand on her forehead. "You're not going anywhere, just get some sleep." She almost didn't here the whispered words that followed.

"Okay, Nana . . ."


End file.
